United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Community Choice in Real Estate Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and the Revised Statutes of the United States to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, from determining that real estate brokerage activity or real estate management activity is financial in nature, is incidental to any financial activity, or is complementary to a financial activity. (In effect, prohibits financial holding companies and national banks from engaging, directly or indirectly, in real estate brokerage or real estate management activities.) Exempts from such prohibition: (1) activities of a bank holding company (or any affiliate) that directly relate to managing any real property owned by national banks or their affiliates; and (2) the right, power, or ability of any financial holding company to engage in any activity, or acquire or retain the shares of any company engaged in an activity authorized for financial holding companies on December 6, 2001 ("grandfather clause").
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2008
Establishes the Office of the Federal Oil and Gas Permit Coordinator, headed by a Federal Permit Coordinator, to: (1) coordinate permitting activities by federal and state agencies regarding any oil and gas project under a federal lease either onshore or on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), including oil shale projects; and (2) ensure the compliance of participating federal and state agencies. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish regional offices to coordinate review of federal permits for oil and gas projects on federal lands onshore and on the OCS. Sets forth a schedule for federal agency review of oil and gas applications for: (1) Class I permits, that require preparation of an environmental impact statement to inform the permitting decision; (2) Class II permits, for activities that would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment; and (3) Class III permits, for activities that qualify for a statutory or regulatory categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Prescribes dispute resolution procedures governing oil and gas permit reviews. Empowers the Regional Permit Coordinator to resolve all administrative issues affecting such reviews. Directs the Regional Permit Coordinators to facilitate and coordinate concurrent state reviews of permits for oil and gas projects in the state or on an adjacent portion of the OCS. Grants the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia exclusive original jurisdiction over any civil action for the review of a permit decision.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2008
AmericaView Authorization Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), to: (1) maintain a nationwide AmericaView Program to advance the availability, distribution, and use of remote sensing data (information acquired from above the surface of the Earth by satellite or airplane) and technology in each state; (2) maintain AmericaView (the national nonprofit collaboration of StateView participants cooperating with the EROS Data Center to achieve the purposes of the AmericaView Program) in each state to develop publicly accessible remote sensing data archive and distribution infrastructure and expand remote sensing education, research, and knowledge; (3) award annual grants to sustain and develop StateView programs (the AmericaView programs of an individual states, comprised of educational institutions and state and local governments); and (4) maintain an advisory committee to advise the USGS Director about the AmericaView Program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2008
Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to exempt from the prohibition on receiving direct payments, counter-cyclical payments, or average crop revenue election payments when the sum of a farm's base acres is 10 acres or less: (1) a farm owned by a socially disadvantaged or limited resource farmer or rancher; or (2) a producer whose aggregate total base acres of all farms are greater than 10 acres, including farms owned by a producer or operated by a producer with the owner's concurrence, including farms operated under a crop-share lease arrangement. Permits a producer to reconstitute any farms to exceed the 10 base acre minimum through consolidation of the farms' base acreage.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2008
Presumes to be service-connected, and therefore compensable through veterans' disability compensation, cancers of any tissues through the opening of the gastrointestinal tract to the end, becoming manifest to a degree of disability of 10% or more.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2008
Security and Energy for America Act of 2008 or the SEA Act of 2008 - Secure Rural Schools and Counties Act of 2008 - Amends federal law governing payment for certain federal lands (entitlement land) to prescribe: (1) a transitional funding schedule for payments in lieu of taxes; and (2) transitional payments to states and counties previously entitled to payments under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-determination Act of 2000. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) amounts made available by a state to certain counties to support public schools should be in addition to, and not in lieu of, general state funds to support such schools; and (2) a state should not adjust education funding allocations to reflect specified receipts. State Enhanced Authority for Coastal and Ocean Resources Act of 2008 or SEACOR - Amends the Submerged Lands Act (SLA) to: (1) revise the seaward boundaries of states; and (2) except from confirmation and establishment of states' title, power, and rights any oil and gas mineral rights located within the revised seaward boundaries. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) regarding Adjacent Zones and Planning Areas in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Sets forth procedures for the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to grant and administer oil and natural gas leases on the OCS. Revises provisions concerning oil and gas leases. Federal Energy Natural Resources Enhancement Fund Act of 2008 - Establishes the Federal Energy Natural Resources Enhancement Fund to monitor and manage wildlife and fish and other natural resources related to energy and minerals development on federal lands. Declares without force or effect existing federal prohibitions against spending appropriated funds to: (1) conduct oil and natural gas leasing and preleasing activities, or to issue a lease for any OCS; or (2) issue final commercial leasing regulations or any other function related to oil shale and tar sands. Prohibits a federal agency from permitting construction or operation of any facility, or from designating or maintaining a restricted transportation corridor or operating area, on either federal OCS or state waters that will be incompatible with oil, gas, or natural gas leasing, and with exploration and production of tracts that are geologically prospective for oil or natural gas. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to revise regulations governing onshore surface-disturbing activities. Redesignates the Minerals Management Service as the National Ocean Resources and Royalty Service. Rigs to Reefs Act of 2008 - Amends OCSLA to prescribe procedures to use decommissioned offshore oil and gas platforms and other facilities for artificial reef and scientific research. Establishes the Energy and Mineral Schools Reinvestment Act Fund to enable maintenance and restoration of existing and historic petroleum and mining engineering programs. Redesignates the Mining and Mineral Resources Institutes Act as the Energy and Mineral Schools Reinvestment Act. Instructs the Secretary to establish OCS regional headquarters for the Atlantic OCS Region and the Pacific OCS Region. Freedom Fuels Act - Establishes the Freedom Fuels Fund, to be used for specified programs including: (1) geologic and geophysical programs; (2) geothermal and geopressure energy renewable resource management; (3) unconventional energy resources management; and (4) renewable energy management. Directs the Secretary to establish a program for production of: (1) liquid fuels from strategic unconventional resources; and (2) oil and gas resources using advanced CO2 enhanced recovery. Directs the Secretary to establish a grant program, among other purposes, for: (1) geothermal and geopressure oil and gas energy production; (2) FEED grants for projects for coal-to-liquids, petroleum coke-to-liquids, oil shale, tar sands, and Alaska natural gas-to-liquids and the production of low-rank coal water fuel; and (3) production of renewable energy from designated resources. Amends the OCSLA to: (1) repeal the Coastal Impact Assistance program; and (2) revise royalty-in-kind requirements. Amends the the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) prescribe default requirements if the Secretary of Energy does not issue regulations governing payments for research, development, and demonstration leases, and for commercial leases for oil shale and tar sands; (2) require the Secretary to grant royalty relief for natural gas production from gas hydrates; (3) direct the Secretary to reduce royalties for certain federal oil and gas leases; and (4) instruct the Secretary of the Interior to use specified estimates and considerations when compiling oil and gas resource assessments. Repeals the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) establish specified fees for conservation resources; (2) require that OCS oil and gas exploration utilize technology to minimize air emissions and discharges into the water; (3) establish Federal OCS Joint Regional Permitting Offices; and (4) develop, upon lessee request, oil spill response plans for each OCS Planning area. Exempts certain oil and gas leasing and exploration from federal agency coordination requirements of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972. Instructs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to delegate to the Minerals Management Service permitting and enforcement authority for specified federal OCS activities.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
Furthering Renewable Energy and Exploration Act or the FREE Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to commence promptly an oil and gas leasing program for public lands within the Coastal Plain of Alaska. Establishes in the Treasury the Energy Independence Trust Fund, into which shall be deposited: (1) rental payments and royalties received by the United States each fiscal year under leases issued under such program; and (2) federal income tax received by the United States each fiscal year attributable to sales of oil and gas produced under such leases. Requires payment of the amounts deposited into the Fund each fiscal year of: (1) 50% to the state of Alaska; and (2) the remainder to the Secretary of Agriculture, half to provide business and industry loan guarantees under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, and half for the Biomass Research and Development Initiative under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, in the succeeding fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
Second Amendment Enforcement Act - Amends specified law prohibiting the killing of wild birds and wild animals in the District of Columbia to declare that nothing in it or any other provision of law shall authorize or be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise not prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by federal law nor subject to the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (FCRA) to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Redefines "machine gun" as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or is readily restored to shoot automatically, more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. Includes the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person. Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; (2) requirement that licensed firearms dealers keep records of ammunition received into inventory and ammunition sold or transferred; and (3) requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms in the possession of certain individuals must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Amends FCRA to allow an individual to possess ammunition in the District if the individual owns (currently, holds the valid registration certificate for) a firearm of the same guage or caliber as such ammunition. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends federal law to eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol whether loaded or unloaded in one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land possessed by such person. Amends the federal criminal code to make it lawful for any licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector to sell or deliver a handgun to a District resident if such individual is licensed in Maryland or Virginia to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2008
American Energy Act - Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act of 2008 - Amends the Submerged Lands Act (SLA) regarding delineation of offshore state boundaries with respect to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), as well as related oil and gas mineral rights. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to: (1) allow the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to grant natural gas leases in the outer Continental Shelf (OCS); and (2) revise provisions concerning oil and gas leases and withdrawals of unleased land. Provides for federal agency coordination with adjacent states on the construction of pipelines for crude oil or petroleum products or natural gas produced from the OCS. Sets forth provisions concerning the application of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to OCS programs. Declares existing federal prohibitions against spending appropriated funds for leasing and preleasing OCS oil and natural gas to be without force or effect. Prohibits a federal agency from permitting certain activities on the federal OCS or in state waters that are incompatible with: (1) oil or natural gas leasing; and (2) full exploration and production of tracts that are geologically prospective for oil or natural gas. Directs the Secretary to establish OCS Regional Headquarters in designated locations. Repeals: (1) the coastal impact assistance program; and (2) the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act - Requires the Secretary to establish a competitive oil and gas leasing program that will result in an environmentally sound program for the exploration, development, and production of the Coastal Plain's oil and gas resources. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to terminate the prohibition against leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Provides for the authorization of Special Areas to be managed so as to protect and preserve the area's unique and diverse character including its fish, wildlife, and subsistence resource values in the Coastal Plain. Requires the Secretary to designate Sadlerochit Spring as a Special Area. Requires the Secretary to: (1) issue specified rights-of-ways and easements across the Coastal Plain for the transportation of oil and gas; and (2) convey specified estates to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. Establishes the Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund and the American Renewable and Alternative Energy Trust Fund. Amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to terminate the prohibition against using federal funds to prepare or publish final regulations regarding a commercial leasing program for oil shale resources on public lands or to conduct an oil shale lease sale pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth provisions concerning credits for fuel efficiency, alternative fuel vehicles, energy efficiency, nuclear energy, and renewable energy. Requires the Secretary of Energy to provide awards for activities concerning the: (1) research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of innovative energy technologies and new energy sources; (2) manufacture of midsized sedan automobiles that operate on gasoline and can travel 100 miles per gallon; and (3) manufacture of advanced batteries. Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act - Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide financial assistance to states or tribes to facilitate the hiring of personnel with expertise in federal refinery authorizations. Requires the President to: (1) appoint a federal coordinator to facilitate such authorizations; and (2) designate at least three closed military installations as potentially suitable for the construction of a refinery and at least one for producing biofuel. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal certain requirements regarding refinery revitalization. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal restrictions on federal agencies procuring alternative or synthetic fuel for mobility-related uses. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to auction to the public coal-to-liquid fuel put option contracts. Provides for standby loans for qualifying coal-to-liquid projects. Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to revise provisions concerning the recycling and disposal of spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2008
Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008 - Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam, for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam, such Republic's inland waterways, waters offshore, and airspace above.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2008
Honors Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, on the 150th anniversary of his birth for his invaluable contributions to the nation as a soldier, naturalist, statesman, and public servant.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2008
Schoolchildren's Health Protection Act - Amends the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit the provision of federal education funding to state or local educational agencies that provide unemancipated minors with postcoital emergency contraception or prescriptions for such contraception on the premises of elementary or secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2008
Commends the extraordinary contributions of those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Recognizes: (1) that the United States has an affirmative duty to care for the men and women who have so served; and (2) the efforts of the National Association of State Veterans Homes in providing veterans with high-quality care. Commends efforts made by state veterans homes for the past 120 years in ensuring that veterans receive the highest quality of care worthy of their sacrifices.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2008
Military Children’s School Investment Act - Amends the Impact Aid program (which compensates local educational agencies (LEAs) for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their areas) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to LEAs that: (1) were eligible for Impact Aid in the prior fiscal year due to federally-connected children; and (2) are experiencing an enrollment increase of at least 250 or 10% consisting of certain federally-connected children whose arrival is due to military base closures and realignments or global rebasing, force structure changes or reductions, or actions initiated by the Secretary of Defense. Requires such grants to be used: (1) to construct new schools or expand existing schools to accommodate the influx of students; (2) repair or upgrade academic facilities; or (3) lease, with the Secretary's approval, buildings or portions of buildings from a private entity for additional school space.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2008
Encourages the President to revoke the Executive memorandum banning energy production on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Urges the President to work with Congress to increase the production of American energy.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008
Always Think Freedom Act - Prohibits the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) from purchasing, using, or distributing any hand tool or tool kit on which any reminder about forfeiture appears.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008
Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Acquisition Reform Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay generally until after 2011 full implementation of the Medicare competitive acquisition program for the purchase of durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). Revises such program, dividing its implementation into two rounds, and specifying covered item updates for 2009-2014. Prescribes requirements for application of accreditation in implementing quality standards. Requires suppliers to disclose subcontractors. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a competitive acquisition ombudsman within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to respond to complaints and inquiries by suppliers and individuals. Specifies topics for the Comptroller General's required study and report to Congress on the impact of competitive acquisition of DME on suppliers, manufacturers, and patients. Sets forth a special rule for the competitive acquisition program for diabetic testing strips.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2008
Demands that the 2010 decennial census count every person living in the United States, any U.S. territory or possession, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and all federal civilian and military personnel serving abroad. Urges the Secretary of Commerce to use all reasonable means to achieve that goal.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2008
Honors Toby Keith's commitment to our country's Armed Forces overseas. Encourages other entertainers to take into consideration his commitment to boosting the morale of our Armed Forces when supporting USO operations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Constitutional Amendment - Marriage Protection Amendment - Defines marriage in the United States as consisting only of the union of a man and a woman. Prohibits either the U.S. Constitution or the constitution of any state from being construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon any other union.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Declares that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability through economic, political, and diplomatic means is vital to U.S. national security. Urges the President to use his authority to impose sanctions on: (1) Iranian banks engaged in proliferation activities or the support of terrorist groups; (2) international banks which conduct financial transactions with proscribed Iranian banks; (3) energy companies with large investments in the Iranian petroleum or natural gas sector; and (4) all companies which do business with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Demands that the President initiate an international effort to increase economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities. Urges the President to lead a regional diplomatic effort to support the legitimate governments in the region against Iranian destabilization efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2008
American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement a competitive leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources on the Coastal Plain of Alaska. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to repeal the prohibition against leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Deems any oil and gas leasing programs and activities authorized by this Act to be in compliance with ANWR purposes. Authorizes the Secretary to designate up to 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain as a Special Area, after consultation with the state of Alaska, the city of Kaktovik, and the North Slope Borough. Permits directional drilling in the Special Area. Prescribes procedures governing Coastal Plain lease sales, as well as terms and conditions, including: (1) environmental protection; (2) federal and state distribution of revenues; (3) rights-of-way; and (4) local government impact aid and community service assistance. Sets forth: (1) a "no significant adverse effect" standard to govern Coastal Plain activities; and (2) guidelines for expedited judicial review of complaints. Establishes the ANWR Alternative Energy Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2008
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 101 Tallapoosa Street in Bremen, Georgia, as the "Sergeant Paul Saylor Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2008
Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide for the protection of child custody arrangements for parents who are members deployed in support of a contingency operation. States that if a motion for change of custody of a child of such a member is filed while the member is so deployed, no court may enter an order modifying or amending a previous child custody judgment, except if there is clear and convincing evidence that it is in the best interest of the child. Prohibits any court from considering a member's absence due to deployment, or possible deployment, in support of a contingency operation in determining the best interest of the child.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2008
Clean Global War on Terror Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 - Makes emergency supplemental FY2008 appropriations for specified activities related to the war on terror, international affairs, and national defense matters to the Departments of Agriculture (including food relief to certain foreign countries), of Justice, of Defense (military, including funds for Afghan and Iraqi security forces), of Defense (military construction), and of State (including international peacekeeping activities). Rescinds certain funds made available in: (1) the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 for the Defense Health Program; and (2) the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund. Makes additional supplemental appropriations for the war on terror, international affairs, and national defense matters to the Departments of Agriculture (including food relief to certain foreign countries), of Justice, of Defense (military, including funds for Afghan and Iraqi security forces), and of State and related agencies. Designates each amount in this Act as an emergency requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2008
Recognizes the sacrifices made by disabled veterans and their families. Calls on the people of the United States and local, state, and national organizations and governmental institutions to honor all disabled American veterans. Supports the goals and ideals of Disabled American Veterans Week.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2008
Silver Alert Grant Program Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to states to implement or improve a Silver Alert system. Defines "Silver Alert system" to mean a state-administered notification system to help locate missing individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other dementia-related illnesses. Requires the Attorney General to report to Congress on Silver Alert systems, including: (1) a list of states that have established such systems; (2) information on each state's system; (3) actions states have taken to protect the privacy and dignity of the individuals for whom Silver Alerts are issued; and (4) ways that states have facilitated and improved communication about missing individuals between families, caregivers, law enforcement officials, and other authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2008
Citizen and Community Preparedness Act of 2008 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish: (1) a Community Preparedness Division in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); and (2) a Citizen Corps Program in the Division, through which the Secretary of Homeland Security shall bring community and government leaders together to coordinate efforts to strengthen community involvement in emergency preparedness, planning, mitigation, response, and recovery for acts of terrorism and natural disasters. Gives the Director of that Division primary responsibility within DHS for assisting the efforts of state, local, and tribal governments in preparing citizens for emergencies. Requires the Director to consider the unique preparedness challenges faced by specified underserved populations, including persons with disabilities and limited English proficiency, socially and economically disadvantaged households, the elderly, children, and individuals with pets. Directs the Secretary to make grants to states to: (1) form and sustain a state or local Citizen Corps Council; and (2) develop and implement educational programs for the public on terrorism and natural disaster preparedness and volunteer responsibilities. Conditions receipt of funds by states on outreach efforts to underserved populations, neighborhoods bordering critical infrastructure, and specified communities and community service organizations. Establishes in the Division: (1) a Community Emergency Response Team Program; (2) a Fire Corps Program; and (3) a National Citizen Corps Council. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a public affairs campaign; and (2) commence a pilot program to enhance citizen preparedness at primary and secondary schools and on university and college campuses.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2008
Caleb Martin-Travis Dodson Wounded Warrior Retention Act - Authorizes a member of the Armed Forces who would normally be retired, placed on the temporary disability retired list, or separated as the result of a combat-related disability to elect to instead be retained on active service in an active status, as long as the member: (1) remains medically able to perform noncombat-related military occupational specialties or duties; and (2) is not disqualified from performing such specialties or duties because of performance, mandatory retirement for age, or other reasons. Subjects members placed in such status to periodic physical examinations, as provided to members placed on the temporary disability retired list. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to permit, on a case-by-case basis, the reenlistment or appointment in such status of a member who, during the period beginning on September 1, 2001, and ending on the date of enactment of this Act, was retired or separated as the result of a combat-related disability. Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on the number and types of noncombat-related military occupational specialties in the Armed Forces and Department of Defense (DOD) civilian employee positions that would be available for such members.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2008
Homeownership Protection and Housing Market Stabilization Act of 2008 - Sets forth a licensing and registry system for residential mortgage loan originators. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require additional creditor disclosures on residential mortgage loans. Expand and Preserve Home Ownership Through Counseling Act - Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish the Office of Housing Counseling in the Office of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to grant community investment credit for certain lender practices. Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2008 - Amends the National Housing Act to revise the single family mortgage insurance program under the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), including Hawaiian home lands and Indian reservations, and home equity conversion (reverse) mortgages. Amends the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 to grant a temporary increase in the maximum loan guaranty amount for veterans' housing loans guaranteed by Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Directs the Secretary of Defense to implement a mortgage foreclosure prevention counseling program for members of the Armed Forces returning from active duty abroad. Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend the period of protection against mortgage foreclosures. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to: (1) require escrow and impound accounts for periodic payments for certain credit transactions; and (2) set forth property appraisal requirements. Authorizes appropriations for federal prosecution of mortgage fraud. Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2008 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to establish: (1) the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to exercise oversight authority over the Federal Home Loan Banks, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), and the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) (enterprises) ; and (2) the Federal Housing Enterprise Board. Prescribes: (1) minimum and critical capital levels for regulated entities; and (2) special enforcement powers. Requires the FHFA Director to establish standards for enterprise assets and liabilities. Abolishes: (1) the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight; and (2) the Federal Housing Finance Board. Transfers their functions, personnel, and property to the FHFA. Terminates enterprise-related functions of HUD.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2008
Hubbard Act - Amends federal employment, armed forces, military pay, and veterans' benefits law to authorize the provision of the following benefits to a member of the Armed Forces who is discharged at the member's request pursuant to a Department of Defense (DOD) policy permitting the early discharge of a member who is the only surviving child in a family in which the father or mother, or one or more siblings, served in the Armed Forces and, incident to such service, was killed, died as a result of wounds, accident, or disease, is in a captured or missing in action status, or is permanently disabled: (1) continued payment, through the original agreed-upon service period, of any bonus, incentive, or similar benefit to which the member was entitled during service; (2) separation pay, even though the member has completed less than six years of active service before discharge; (3) transitional health care, on the same basis as an active-duty member, for 180 days after discharge; (4) transitional commissary and exchange benefits, on the same basis as an active-duty member, for two years after discharge; (5) veterans' housing loan, employment and training, and basic educational assistance; (6) federal unemployment compensation; and (7) veteran's preference for federal employment purposes. Makes this Act effective with respect to any such discharge granted after September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2008
Military Honor and Decency Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to review, at least annually, material that is not deemed to be sexually explicit to determine if the material should be deemed sexually explicit and thus prohibited under provisions prohibiting the sale or rental of sexually explicit material: (1) on property under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense (DOD); or (2) by a member of the Armed Forces or a civilian DOD officer or employee acting in an official capacity. Revises the definition of "sexually explicit material" to (among other things) prohibit print periodicals that regularly feature or give prominence to nudity or sexual or excretory activities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2008
Secure Access to Firearms Enhancement (SAFE) Act of 2008 - Amends the federal criminal code to provide for reciprocity for the carrying of certain concealed firearms in different states by persons who are not prohibited by federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm and who are: (1) carrying a valid state license or permit for carrying a concealed firearm; or (2) otherwise entitled to carry a concealed firearm in their state of residence.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2008
Child Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 - Amends the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 to extend through FY2011 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) the Sex Offender Management Assistance (SOMA) program; (2) assistance to states for apprehending sex offenders who violate sex offender registration requirements; (3) grants to combat sexual abuse of children; (4) the Fugitive Safe Surrender Program; (5) the pilot program for monitoring sex offenders; and (6) the Jessica Lunsford Address Verification Grant Program. Extends reporting requirements for the last two of such programs. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY2011 the authorization of appropriations for grants: (1) to assist states in enforcing sex offender registration requirements; and (2) for juvenile sex offender treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2008
Veterans Travel Tax Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow veterans a deduction from gross income for their travel expenses (e.g., transportation, food, and lodging) to a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center for treatment related to a service-connected disability or for an examination related to a claim for disability compensation or a pension.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2008
United States Army Commemorative Coin Act of 2008 - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half dollar clad coins as numismatic items emblematic of the traditions, history, and heritage of the U.S. Army, and its role in American society from the Colonial period to today. Requires the design for such coins to contain motifs that honor specifically the American soldier of both today and yesterday, in wartime and in peace, consistent with the traditions and heritage of the U.S. Army, the mission and goals of the National Museum of the U.S. Army, and the missions and goals of the Army Historical Foundation. Restricts coin issuance to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2011. Requires all surcharges from coin sales to be promptly paid by the Secretary to the Foundation to help finance the National Museum of the U.S. Army.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2008
Honors the life, achievements, and contributions of Charlton Heston. Extends the deepest sympathies of the House of Representatives to the family of Charlton Heston for his loss.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2008
Military Voting Protection Act of 2008 - Amends the Uniformed Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to direct the Secretary of Defense (the Presidential designee) to establish procedures for collecting absentee ballots of military overseas voters in elections for federal office, and for delivering such ballots to the appropriate state election officials. Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that such ballots are delivered prior to the time established for the closing of the polls on the date of the election; (2) carry out delivery requirements through a contract with a private provider of air transportation, which shall include a mechanism for ballot tracking; and (3) take steps to ensure that such voters are able to cast their votes in a private and independent manner, and that vote contents remain secret until tabulated by the state election officials.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2008
Protecting the Second Amendment and Hunting Rights on Federal Lands Act of 2008 - Prohibits any federal regulation from restricting any individual from possessing or carrying a firearm or ammunition, if such restriction is based, in whole or in part, upon the fact that the individual is in a unit of the National Park System or the Wildlife Refuge System. Sets forth provisions with regard to allowing hunting activities on federal lands. Requires an agency with jurisdiction over any federal land, when developing or considering approval of a management plan, to ensure that hunting activities are allowed as a use of such land to the extent that such use is not clearly incompatible with the purposes for which the federal land is managed.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2008
Amends the Little River Canyon National Preserve Act of 1992 to modify the boundary of the Little River Canyon National Preserve in Alabama to include additional land in the Preserve.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2008
Expresses support for the observance of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month to provide a special opportunity to offer education on the importance of early detection and screening.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2008
Expresses gratitude for, and urges states, localities, and all Americans to honor the courage and sacrifice of, members of the Armed Forces, including Samuel R. Johnson of Texas, who were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict. Declares that the House of Representatives will continue to press for a full accounting of the 1,729 members of the Armed Forces who remain unaccounted for from that conflict. Honors all members of the Armed Forces who have fought and died in the defense of freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2008
Recognizes the 60th anniversary of President Truman's executive order declaring a policy of equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin, thereby beginning the process of ending segregation in the U.S. Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2008
Urges the Secretary of Defense to take immediate steps to establish a career path for doctors of chiropractic to be appointed as commissioned officers in all branches of the Armed Forces for purposes of providing chiropractic services.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rogers, Mike D. [R-AL-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_al_3_rogers_mike_200.jpg)